Let Me Breathe
by PureElegance
Summary: Hiding your true self from everyone else is tough, but she manages to do it. Can one particular person help her break free from the curse she is living in? Or will she be on the run for the rest of life? Everything changes as the two cross paths.
1. That Girl

**Guess who is back, back, back, back. Back again. ME!  
>Oh my lovely SasuSaku lovers, I've missed you so much!<br>&& for my new lovers, welcome :)  
>Disclaimer: I'm still on planet Earth and kickin' it! Haven't been around for a while on here, so what does that tell you? I don't own Naruto :'(<strong>

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><p><strong>Let Me Breathe<strong>**  
><strong>

_There's a girl that hides behind her glasses and clothing. And for what reason she has for doing that? No one knows besides her and her family. Because of the way she acts and dresses, no one takes her seriously but if you got to know the real her, you'll be amazed by what kind of person she is.  
><em>

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><p>Do you know what it is like to pretend to be someone who you aren't? Do you know someone that does? If you asked them what their story is for doing so, they wouldn't tell you the truth wouldn't they. That's how I am. I'm a total fake but I have my reasons for doing so. I don't like hiding my true self, but it's for my own good, well according to my father. You see, my father's past has come back to haunt him recently and now I'm forced to wear this ridiculous disguise.<p>

He tells me soon I'll be able to walk outside without fearing for my life. If he knew the truth, this disguise makes me fear for my life even more. I only cope with it because I don't want to worry my father. He constantly reminds me that I'm their main target.

'Their'. I don't know who these group of people are which freaks me out because what if I befriended one of them?

For what my father did in the past to make me their main target is beyond my imagination. My father is a business man, too busy to be staying at home but always makes time to ensure my safety. As for my mother, well, she's...dead. I'm not the type to get all emotional but when it comes to my mother, then that's a whole other story. I never knew my mother but I feel connected to her even though she is dead.

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><p>I brushed my hair back to put into a slick, high ponytail. This happens to be my typical school hairstyle. Some boys like to pull on it, hoping I'll get mad but I just sit there silently. But if they truly knew how I act, they wouldn't dare to tug on my ponytail again let alone touch my hair. At school I put on a shy, quiet act. I come off as this innocent, good girl but if they only knew I was acting. Smirking at thought of my amazing acting skills, I gave myself a quick up and down check in my mirror, even though it didn't matter, and went downstairs to be greeted by my father.<p>

It's rare to see him early in the mornings, but his presence makes my day. He quickly glanced at me and nodded. His nod was the sign of acceptance towards my disguise. For a guy, he is quite picky when it comes to clothing. If I'm not dressed accordingly to the way he wants me to dress, he'll go pick out my clothing and what teen wants their parent picking out their clothing, especially your father! I just do what my father says because I fear for him, not for myself. Good daughter right? Right. That was a joke actually. Anybody who knew me before I had to start hiding my true self knows I'm a risk taker and trouble maker. Heck! Even my father knows and approves of it. Guess that goes to show you what kind of teen he was.

My father went back to reading the papers he held in his hand and then I realized an unopened envelope on the table. Upon approaching the table and about to touch the envelope, my father swatted by hand away. "Haven't I taught you not to touch what isn't yours?"

"Yes, well, kind of. You said and I quote: "You aren't supposed to touch what isn't yours but there are times when you have too, regardless if you have the other person's permission to or not." So father, if I may ask…what was your reason for swatting my hand away from this mail?" I raised an eyebrow. I do this a lot. Usually when I'm curious about something and the other times, I do it unconsciously or so I've been told.

At first he was mumbling to himself, something about how my wittiness reminded him of my mother, his deceased wife. "If I tell you, do you promise not to touch anything of mine again?" His voice was stern and I knew he was being serious. I nodded my head. But we both knew my nod shouldn't be taken seriously. "Another business wants to make some negotiations, so they sent me a list of what they want to talk about. I can't bother with that nonsense right now, so I left it closed."

As I squinted my eyes and I retorted back saying "How do you know it's about negotiations if you didn't open it?"

He stared at me for a good few minutes and coughed. After taking a sip out of his mug, he spoke "I can never get anything past you, can I…" That's not true, he has been hiding stuff from me that I have not yet to find out about, continuing to listen to what he had to say "Fine, you caught me. So I don't know exactly what it is but the negotiations part is true. This brings me to what I want to tell you. I won't be home till after midnight tonight because I have a feeling this meeting is going to take a while. So- "

"Yes, I know. Stay somewhere in the center of this house so no one can tell if someone is home or not." He smiled and nodded once again, giving an approval to my answer. I just rolled my eyes and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. "Well, I better get going. Don't want to miss math class, yaay!" My dad just chuckled and shook his head.

"Dear, you know it will come in handy" I heard him said as I walked towards the front door and right before I twisted the door knob, I stopped to shake my head at what he just said, but I know it's true. It will be beneficial later on in life.

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><p>Wouldn't you give weird looks at a person if you saw them wearing unattractive clothing, getting a fancy car door opened by a personal driver? Yeah, so would I. Ignoring the remarks and stares I was getting from some people, I headed straight towards the school doors.<p>

As I made my way down the hallway towards my locker, someone shouted "Look out!" I turned around to see what the issue was and the football that was soaring in the air, met my face along with the male's elbow who was trying to catch the ball. Darkness engulfed me.

"Is she okay?" I heard a male voice.

"Well she's breathing, so she must be" another guy said.

I placed my hand on the spot where the ball hit me and gently rubbed it. My hand then moved down to my eyes to see if my glasses were alright but something was wrong. My glasses were missing. At that moment, I felt like I was going to have a Velma moment and will end up repeatedly saying 'Where are my glasses?' I then felt someone place something into the palm of my left hand and heard a grunt. A male I presumed, placed my glasses into my hand. Placing the glasses on, I slowly opened my eyes to be greeted with a group of students surrounding me.

"She's alive!" a blonde haired boy said.

"Of course she is, you idiot. She isn't going to die from being hit by a football" On the contrary, you could. But I'm not going to let out my smart remarks. A hand stretched out before me to grab and I nervously accepted the invitation for the help and gripped the blonde haired boy's hand.

"Strong grip you have there" I made no eye contact with those around me. I silently said thanks, collected my books and made my way to class.

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><p><strong>Sasuke's POV<strong>

I stared at the petite figure disappear around the corner and turned back to be greeted by a huge smile on the idiot's face. "Naruto, what are you smiling about?"

"I saved a girl's life!" I heard Shikamaru sigh.

"Naruto, you barely saved her life. You're the one who through the football at her and you" I raised an eyebrow at Shikamaru. "You should have known better that she was standing right behind you. You two are something else." He rubbed his eyes. "I'm off to class. See you two there or not." Grunting at what he said, I begin to follow him.

"Sasuke! Wait up!" I just kept walking, not bothering to wait for Naruto. As I step foot into the classroom, I noticed that girl from just now. She was staring out the window at the tree, so I assumed, that was located on the hill near the school. She looked calm. Then she suddenly shifted her eyes from the tree to me. I just stared back and I saw her squint her eyes.

Strange. She wears glasses but squints.

Clearing the thought from my head, I made my way over to my seat to be greeted by the rest of the gang. "Hey guys! Guess what!" Naruto shouted and from that moment on, I knew today was going to be a long day because of this morning's incident. Great.

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><p>Curious about what this boy had to say, I slightly tilted my head back to listen better. It's not like I had to because this boy sure speaks loud, but I just want to make sure I catch every single word properly.<p>

"I saved a girl's life today!" I shook my head and silently chuckled. Saved? More like harmed me.

"I see that you didn't hear a single word I said back in the hallway" Shikamaru. He's one of the smartest boys in our class. I've only had a few intellectual conversations with him. As a matter of fact, he's the only person I've talked to ever since I came to this school. For the others, no more than two sentences were exchanged between them and I, and that's how I wanted it to be.

It's strange, right? I hate pretending who I am and want to be myself, but at the same time I want to hide from these people. Perhaps I'm actually afraid of showing my true self to them and what their reactions would be. Or maybe I just enjoy avoiding all unnecessary drama that revolves around a teenager's life. Hearing the screeching noise the chair made beside, I knew the unnecessary bullshit was about to beginning.

"Hey four eyes" I turned to look at the boy sitting next to me. If I could punch him right now, I would. "Holy! What happened to your forehead? You aren't growing another eye are you?" the boy laughed and so did a couple of other students. See what I mean? I sighed and just shook my head. Silly boy. "Hey! Aren't you going to answer me? Aww, don't tell me I hurt your feelings." Yeah, he's definitely silly. I just sat there, staring straight ahead. "Sheesh, you're no fun." I'm no fun? This boy is begging for it! I kept clenching my fist under my desk.

Frustration was building up inside of me and I needed to get rid of it…quickly. I made my move once the boy got up from seat. The chair that he was sitting in was slightly bent already, so I decided to bend it a bit more. Just a tad more to the point where when he sits down on it, the chair would tip over. What? If I can't punch him, the least I can do is making him fall without making it seem like it was my fault. As soon as I finished bending it, I quickly sat back up straight and smirked. Let the fun begin.

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><p><strong>Sasuke's POV<strong>

"Last period, thank God!"

"Naruto, do you ever shut up?" asked Shikamaru.

"Of course I do! Well, only when I'm eating." I looked over and Shikamaru and I knew he was thinking the same thing as I was. How we are friends with Naruto is something that's still unknown. I then saw the same petite pink headed girl from this morning.

"Hey Shikamaru. Who's that pink headed girl sitting over there?"

"That pink headed girl happens to be Sakura."

"Sakura what?" butted in Naruto.

"I don't know her last name and neither do any of the other students. She hardly talks and neither would I if I were her. Do you hear the things people say about her?"

"Yeah, I do. I agree with what some of the things they say."

"Aww, come on Sasuke! Why do you have to be mean! I'm going over there to talk to her!"

"Naruto do-" but Shikamaru just stopped mid-way as Naruto was already gone over to talk to her. Sakura.

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><p>"Sakura-chan!" Did someone just say my name just now? "Sakura-chan!" I turned around to be greeted by the blonde haired boy from earlier this morning. I just stared back at him and never responded back, hoping he would realize that I wasn't going to respond to him. Unfortunately, I shouldn't have even thought that was a possibility. I guess what students say about him is true. He just doesn't listen. He slammed his hands down onto my desk and shouted right into my face "Sakura-chan! Hey! I'm Naruto. You see those two guys over there?" He turned around to point at Shikamaru and some boy sitting next to him who seemed to have no care in the world what was happening right now.<p>

Intriguing. I have to do some research on about that one.

I saw that this boy standing in front of me was still talking, "yeah and that one on the left is Sasuke Uchiha. But never mind about them. I just wanted to come over and say hello, and don't be afraid to hey to me in the hallways or in class!" He stood there and I knew he was waiting for an answer, but I just couldn't bring myself to say anything. Assuming he got the hint, he nervously giggled and walked back from where he came from.

I let out a sigh. Was it a sigh of relief? That's something I'm not sure about. I saw a supply teacher walk into the class. This was expected from our beloved teacher Kakashi. It was rare that we ever saw him here in class. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that everyone should be passing this course. Everyone should have 100 but you'll be surprised to know that isn't true. I don't know how but some people are nearly failing.

I sat there with a straight face. How do I it really amazes me. The urgency I have to turn to someone and talk to them, has caused me to twitch a bit from now or then but whenever I end up talking to someone the twitching goes away.

I guess I've been putting up this act for quite some time that is has led me to become anti-social. It sucks, really it does. I'm not anti-social! My father and I need to have a little chat. He made me wear an orange wig once to when we went to the zoo a few years back. To make a long story short, supposedly I looked like a lion from the back when I was sitting down on the bench and was attacked by one of the workers. Either they had bad eye sight or they can't tell the difference between a human and an animal. I shook my head at the memory and saw a few students staring at me. I then turned around to see that boy, Naruto, staring at me as well.

"Sakura-chan. You laughed!" he shouted excitedly.

"Is it wrong to laugh?" I nervously asked.

"Not at all! You should laugh more, you have a cute laugh" I blushed at what he said. I gave a slight smile and turned back around. I glared at some people to get them to stop staring at me. Finally, the bell rang and I quickly grabbed my things and exited the class.

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><p>Click. Clack. Click.<p>

The sound of my shoes was the only thing I heard as I ignored all the remarks I was receiving again. Being out of zone, I quickly flinched at the arm that wrapped around my shoulder and my heartbeat was rapidly increasing. I walked faster and turned around to see Naruto standing there with a confused face. "Sakura-chan? Is everything fine? I didn't mean to scare you".

"Everything is fine. Sorry, but I'm in a rush to be somewhere." And continued the fast pace I created when Naruto came.

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><p>I slammed the house door and dropped my house keys into the bowl located near the door. I kicked off my flats and made my way to the living room, where I threw my bag onto the couch and laid down on the other couch. I pulled out my phone and started to flick it on and off. I then unlock the screen and opened up the web page. I clicked the search engine and started to type in 'Sa' but soon darkness engulfed me once again, as I dozed off into a long nap.<p>

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><p><strong>AHH! I did it! I managed to write this chapter in one night!<br>I'm getting my writing fever back! Watch me go on a roll!  
>Was aiming to write 2 chapters for tonight but I didn't succeed, clearly.<br>Hmm, I wonder who Sakura was searching on the web…any guesses? Hehe.  
>Until next time!<strong>

**PureElegance **


	2. The Curious One

**Thank you everyone who made this there favorite story, made me happy to see that in my inbox! And for those you have this on Story Alert, yaaay to you too!  
>I just wanted to get this school scene done ASAP so I can finally start writing all the ideas I have in mind for the juicy chapters ;P<br>Disclaimer: I'm still on planet Earth and kickin' it! Haven't been around for a while on here, so what does that tell you? I don't own Naruto :'(**

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><p><strong>Let Me Breathe<strong>

_She's someone who has many layers to be peeled off in order to reach the center. Is there someone who is willing to figure out who she really is or will they give up on her like everyone else has?_

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><p>I ended up getting to school earlier than I ever been before all thanks to my dear father.<p>

**~Flashback~**

_**Poke.**_

_**I groaned as the finger jabbed me once more in the shoulder.**_

_**Poke.**_

_**I flicked the hand away and as I was about to switch sides, I felt a hand place itself on my shoulder and a shove was given. I fell. My eyes instantly opened and everything I saw was unrecognizable since my eyes was covered with fogginess. I glanced to my right and I could barely make out the silhouette of the person standing there. As the fogginess reduced, the figure belonged to a male. Automatically thinking I was being attacked, I clenched my fist and raised it. "Sakura" the voice sounded distant and wasn't that recognizable. I took a swing but I missed. "Sakura" there was that voice again. I shut my eyes to try and clear them but everything around me was foggy still. "Sakura, don't make me count!" The fact I couldn't recognize who this voice belonged too, pissed me off even more. I clenched my fist again. "1…" that voice "2…" sounds like, "3!" **_

"_**DAD!"**_

"_**Took you this long to figure out it's your own father."**_

"_**Well you know you shouldn't instantly wake up someone from their sleep. They're automatically going to think something is going on! Plus, my eyes are a bit foggy. I think it's those glasses" I was hoping he would catch on that I shouldn't be wearing these thick glasses.**_

"_**Oh and your ears are clogged with sleeping dust? If you're trying to get me to say "Well if that's the case, don't wear them" you are wrong young lady. How many times have we've been through this." I tried.**_

"_**It's a possibility; want to check if you see any yellow dust in my ears? But dad! They bother me and wearing fake glasses aren't good for the eyes. Did you know that if you wear glasses when you don't need too, it can cause the eyes become even weaker when you take off the glasses thus resulting the person to wear prescribed glasses? Do you want me becoming prone to this…this…this hideous thing you call 'glasses'?" I knew I looked like a mad woman to him at the moment.**_

"_**Now you're going to pull out the 'did you know' facts on me! If these glasses are creating too much trouble for your eyes, I might as well have you home schooled. Yes, home schooled! I think that's what I might just do."**_

"_**NO! Fine I'll wear them" I sulked as I saw the smirk that appeared on his face. "Oh! One more thing-" **_

"_**Now, off to bed I go! And you should get to bed too missy, after all you do have school tomorrow" And away he went. And he still had that damn smirk on his face. I glanced down at my phone and realized the screen was glowing.**_

_**Strange. My phone should have shut off if I wasn't using it. Perhaps dad clicked it on. Removing the thought from my head, I looked at the time and realized it was 1 am. 1 friggin am. He woke me up 5 hours before I have to get ready for school. Hur-fucking-ray!  
><strong>_  
><strong>~End Flashback~<br>**  
>I decided to leave my house before my father woke up because knowing him he would be sitting there at the dining table with that stupid smirk of his asking me the question: "Did you sleep well, dear?" And he damn knows I didn't go to sleep after we woke me up. As I walked down the hallways, the sound that my shoes made as it hit the floor echoed in the hallways as no students filled it. My school happens to be huge; after all, it is one of the most prestigious schools around. Never being able to wander the hallways in such a peaceful manner, I decided to take in how much beauty and details the school entailed because I know I wouldn't get a chance like this again for quite some time. As I was about to turn around the corner I heard a noise. I suddenly stopped walking and placed my back against the wall as I saw two shadows. Then one of them spoke. "Hurry up before someone comes!"<p>

"Relax! Who comes to school this early?" the voice sounded familiar so I looked around the corner and saw Naruto and some other boy standing in front of the principal's office. What are they doing? I then looked down at what Naruto was holding. Balloons? Then I saw that the other boy was packing away a whole bunch of water bottles. Water balloons? Principal's office and water balloons…they are planning on soaking the principal! I let out a gasp and I saw the boy's heads turn. I quickly turned around and ran. I heard footsteps behind me and thinking it was Naruto and that boy, I ran even faster before they can question me.

"Why are you running?" I stopped. The voice didn't belong to Naruto. I turned around to see that boy Naruto once mentioned. Sasuke Uchiha. I just stood there and stared at him. His features were undeniable astonishing. I could stare at him all day if I had the chance too, but then I shook the image of him out of my head. He was one of _those_ types. The one's that think they are too good for anyone, the one's that would date someone but dump them a few days after. "Well? Are you going to answer me? Or should I go back to that spot where you were running from and see for myself?" Oh and not to mention, he's one of those types that demand answers. I blinked a couple of times and then he spoke again, "Stupid" and he started to walk past me, then I spoke up.

"I'm not stupid."

"I never said you were."

"It was implied."

"Perhaps it was, but I may have also been implying how you aren't going to answer my question was stupid."

"So which one is it?"

"That's up to you to decide." And then he disappeared around the corner. I clenched my fist and grinded my teeth together. That was irritating. I then started to walk again and thought, 'but why would I stop for him, a stranger?'

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><p><strong>Sasuke's POV<strong>

Wanting to go back and tell her that she was right, that I was implying she was stupid, I sighed and turned around but stopped. I saw her clenching her fist. Hmm, this is interesting. Then her lips parted, "That was irritating" Came out of her mouth. Ah, looks like pinky here found something she doesn't like about me. Then her foot shifted and started to approach the corner. I turned back around and started to walk. As much as I wanted to tell her that she was right, I just can't bring myself to say it to her. After all, Uchiha's can't be wrong. The thought of pinky was on my mind until I came across Shikamaru and Neji. "Sasuke"

"Neji"

"Really? You two greet each other like your about to ask each other a question" both Neji and I deciding to ignore his question, started to walk a without him. "Oh come on you two! You guys always do this to me. You two really need to stop do this telepath thing." Shaking my head, I grinned.

"You'll get your chance to join our exclusive club Shikamaru. You just can't handle it yet." I saw Neji grin as well. One thing that Shikamaru hates is people telling him he isn't able to do this or that.

"Seriously, you're actually going to go there!" Shikamaru ran to catch up with us.

"See what I mean? You can't even handle to keep up with us" I heard him sigh. That was a sign of defeat or I assumed. "Have you two see Naruto and Kiba?"

"I talked to them earlier. They said something about coming to school early to do something." I looked at Neji and then back at Shikamaru. The two of them gave me the confused look and I shook my head.

"You know those two never come to school early, right?" they both nodded their heads. "Okay, now what's the first thought that comes to mind of why they would come to school early?"

"Prank" they both said. We reached our class and saw Naruto and Kiba already in there.

"Hey guys!" Naruto shouted then his eyes widen. "SAKURA-CHAN!" The guys turned and looked at her. She looked at them. She looked at Naruto and Kiba for a few minutes and then she was looking at the ground.

"Naruto, you idiot. You made the girl even more shy. Why don't you leave her alone" Shikamaru sighed and walked to his seat. I watched her walk and could tell she was in deep thought. I was curious to find out what she was thinking about and took a step but decided not to bother her. After all, she was already on the edge from earlier by the way she was running.

I was lost in my thoughts that I didn't even hear the teacher call my name. I was so caught up on why I didn't stop for Sasuke. What was it that made me stop for him? "Sakura" For all my teenage life, I've been running away from people. "Ms. Haruno!" I blinked. My teacher was standing in front of my desk with his hands gripping the sides of my desk. I then saw that everyone was looking at me. "Ms. Haruno. This isn't like you."

"I know" I was avoiding eye contact.

"I'm glad you know. Next time could you please pay attention; it would make things easier for me" Easier? You have it easy alright. Me, on the other hand…I sighed. The things I want to say are things that others won't be able to comprehend. I nodded my head and he smiled. "Good, now class…" His voice faded away again. If only someone else besides my father knew what was going on with me, then maybe, just maybe I will be able to feel like I can live a normal life.

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><p>Lunch was the only time I could peacefully relax in this school. I headed outside to the huge tree that was on top of hill. As I reached the top of the hill, I noticed someone else was sitting there. It was a girl, she happened to be in my science class. I stepped on a leaf, making her become startled and turn around. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." I quietly said.<p>

"It's alright." She was quiet as well, but I knew she really wasn't. When you have been hiding for so long, you have a lot of time to sit back and analyze things.

"I usually never see anyone here during lunch…"

"Oh! If you want to sit here by yourself, I can lea-" she started to pack her things.

"It's fine. I can share the spot with you." She smiled. Something was troubling her, but I can't question her. It bothered me though. I see people struggling with things but I'm not able to ask them 'what's the problem' because I don't know them that well. But the question slipped out from my mouth. "What's the matter" at first I hoped she didn't hear but then again I did. I sat down and looked over at her. She was hesitating. "You don't have to answer. I understand that you don't know me very well to tell me your business" but she answered anyways.

"You know Naruto, right?" I nodded my head. "Well, he got sent to the office during class" I chuckled which made her look at me.

"I wasn't laughing at him for being sent down to the office. I was laughing because I knew why he was" I quickly stated. She stared wide eyed at the hands that were in front of her. I quickly drew back my hands. "Sorry, I have the tendency to wave my hands when I'm worried about something."

"What's there to be worried about?"

"Well I thought you were thinking I was rude for laughing at the fact he was sent to the office."

"Oh no! Don't worry, I wasn't thinking that. I was just wondering why you were laughing. I didn't even considered the fact you were laughing at what I said. But, what was the reason why he was sent down?" I chuckled again.

"Him and some guy was going to pull a trick on the principal and I guess they succeeded. But I want to know how the principal knew he was the one who did it."

"Because she just knows it's him and she also knows Kiba is the one who also takes part in it."

"Kiba?"

"The boy you saw with Naruto. They're prank buddies."

"Oh. Well, don't worry about! I'm sure he won't get a harsh punishment for what he did."

"Your right. Thank you, Sakura."

"Anytime, umm…sorry what's your name again?"

"Hinata"

"Well, anytime Hinata." I saw her get up and she waved at me saying she was going to go meet up with her friends. I nodded and watched her leave. Then I did something which I haven't done for a long time. I smiled. My cheeks hurt and it made me feel like I was a robot. That I needed oiling in spots that was rusty. I haven't smiled ever since I started this whole new persona. I stared upwards and watched the leaves float its way down to the ground. They put me in a trance that I could just stay here forever. I leaned my head back onto the tree trunk and closed my eyes as I let the cool breeze come over and I kept that smile on my face.

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><p><strong>Sasuke's POV<strong>

Going out for lunch was a daily routine for my gang and me but since the two idiots got sent to the office, the guys and I decided we won't go anywhere. The cafeteria's food wasn't bad, so we sat at the table near the window. "Hey, isn't that Hinata?" Shikamaru pointed out the petite figure walking down the hill.

"Yeah it is, but I wonder what she was talking to Sakura about." My eyes went directly to her and I saw that she was in a peaceful state. The leaves around her looked like it was dancing around her, the way it swayed back in forth and swirled, landing around her. She was in a trance.

"Well, well, well. Looks like Sasuke here has taken on a little liking in Sakura" Shikamaru smirked.

"As if. Have you ever wondered why she acts so different around others but when she's by herself she seems to be someone else?"

"No I haven't. Does she though?"

"You be there judge. Just look out the-" But she wasn't there anymore. She was gone like a ghost.

"Look at where? Sasuke, are you alright?" I saw the guys looking at me.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Forget I even asked that question about her." The guys just shrugged their shoulders and went back to talk among themselves. I looked back out to where she once was. I must be imagining things because who in their right mind would play pretend.

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><p>The times you see Kakashi in class is when he has nothing else to do outside school. What I don't understand is why did he become a teacher, was allowed to be employed and is still able to keep his job if he misses so much days. I glanced over at Kakashi sitting at his desk, feet up and a book covering his face. Oh, he also reads these books in class. No one is ever allowed around his desk which makes it even more inviting to go near it, well for me at least. My eyes wandered from him to the door where Naruto stood with that huge smile on his face. Without taking the book away from his face, Kakashi somehow knew Naruto was standing there and greeted him. It's like this man had eyes on the side of his head! When Naruto sat down in his seat, that's when Kakashi put down his book. "Class. Today we are going to have a class discussion." We've been sitting here for nearly an hour and 20 minutes and all of a sudden this guy decides to have a random class discussion. The staff at the school is strange, I swear!<p>

"On what?" some random guy shouted.

"Let's talk about the things you teen's experience. Anyone want to start off this discussion?"

"Drugs."

"Uhh, something else…"

"Relationships" a pretty blonde haired girl said.

"Okay, Ino. What about relationships?"

"Well, the part when the couple decides to take a break. Is it alright to go see other people or not?"

"I say they have the right to go see other people!" one guy shouted and a few other guys joined in saying 'yeah!'

"No! A break isn't a free pass to go bone every girl you know" one girl said furiously.

"Haha, was that a joke? Because it was a good one! Of course it is."

"Are you dumb?" she shouted back.

"No but you must be if you think a break means that each person can't go out and have fun"

"She never said anything about not having fun or going out. She clearly said that guys assume is okay for them to go fuck some other girl behind her back." Ino glared at the boy and you can tell he was about to pee his pants from fear.

"So, it's not like they aren't going to find out or anything"

"On the contrary, girls talk so your girlfriend that you're on a break from will find out." Kakashi gave this look that had all girls staring at him. He then stared at me and he was staring hard, real hard. I raised a brow, what the hell? "Sakura, do you have any input?" I shook my head but he kept on insisting I said something.

Clearing my throat, "Well, umm…I think that if either guy or girl plans on cheating on their partner during the break that they should have the decency to break up with them. The point of a break is to take time to decide whether you want to be with whomever you are with." That was the most I have spoken this whole semester in class. I nervously looked around and bit my lip and just stared at the floor until I heard _his_voice.

"I agree with Sakura. If you are going to cheat while on the break that's your answer right there on whether you want to be with them or not. You don't need to do anymore thinking because you clearly made up your mind to cheat on your partner while on the break." I couldn't take my eyes away from him. He was so intriguing and what made it so hard to look away is that he was also staring at me too. Eventually though our eyes were looking at something else.

"Well those were two detailed answers. I can tell who the douchebags are and who aren't judging by the answers you have given me." The guys who said it's alright to see other people during a break all slouched in their chairs and I knew they were wishing they would disappear from here or take back what they have said. "Does anyone else have anything else to add to this topic? Nobody does? Alright, then class is dismissed!" Whenever Kakashi is here, he lets us out early which leave me waiting on the stair steps until my ride gets here. I can drive but my father prefers I get driven and picked up at school. If I have my license and I'm not allowed to drive, what the hell is the point of having one? I pulled out my phone and went onto the web and still saw that something was still typed into the search engine. Just what did I want to search up? Thinking it was nothing important; I cleared the bar and started to search something else up. As I scrolled up and down searching for what I wanted to find, I looked up to find my ride waiting for me. Getting up to fast, my foot missed the step and I was doomed. I was heading head first and I shut my eyes waiting to feel the harsh impact I was about to encounter but it never came. Instead, my head hit something softer than the concrete and surely didn't smell like concrete; instead the smell was fresh and nice. I opened my eyes to find myself in the arms of a guy. I glanced up and saw Sasuke looking down at me. I felt my face getting hot and I regained my posture but avoided eye contact. "No thank you?" I nervously looked up at him.

"Thank you" I whispered as I brushed by him. My driver opened the door for me while greeting me with a warm smile. I gave him a nod and quickly proceeded into the car. I threw my head back. Just what exactly was happening to me? Something was going on and I didn't like but at the same time I did.

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><p><strong>Gheeze, I finally finished this chapter! I rewrote this chapter three times.<br>YES! I can finally start getting into all the action and teasing.  
>I'm so going to have fun with all the ideas I have in mind and hopefully you all like it :D<br>If you will like to see anything in this story, just tell me! I'm open to all ideas :)  
>Until next time!<strong>

**PureElegance**


	3. Realization

**Long weekend coming up! Yaaay!  
>I finished this chapter quite earlier than I expected too.<br>Disclaimer: I'm still on planet Earth and kickin' it! Haven't been around for a while on here, so what does that tell you? I don't own Naruto :'(**

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><p><strong>Let Me Breathe<strong>

_They say that it's okay to hide the truth from people if it means it's protecting them from something awful. However, hiding the truth can lead that person to getting into trouble. If the lies continue then you're just digging a deeper hole for yourself. _

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><p><strong>~Flashback~<strong>

_**As the car pulled into the driveway, the person who was up on the balcony was trying to open the window. The man in the car got out and locked his car doors. He then made his way to his front door and opened it quietly, assuming his daughter was asleep. The person on the balcony successful opened the window and gently pushed it back so that no noise was made. Before proceeding into the room, the stranger pushed the curtains to the side and quietly entered, however the breeze from outside pushed the window back even more, making it hit the picture on the wall and knocking it off the hook. The man was half way up the stairs and he heard the noise. He ran up the stairs and barged his daughter's room. He caught the person who broke into his daughter's room standing next to her bed. Furious, he charged at the person but unfortunately for him, the person was too quick for him and escaped. He walked over to the window and shut it but forgot to close the curtains. He then walked over to where his daughter laid and just shook his head as she wasn't woken up by the sounds that were made. After alarming his clock because he knew she wouldn't wake up unless something loud blasted into her ears, he made his way out of the room, shutting the door quietly behind him. He was shook by what happened and was glad that he gotten home just in time. The man went to lay in his bed but was not able to sleep as thoughts ran through his mind of the possible things that could happen to his daughter if she was taken.**_

**~End Flashback ~**

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><p>There laid the pink headed beauty. Hair sprawled over the pillow as she turned over onto her back. She looked like sleeping beauty, lost in a never ending sleep. In a way this is what Sakura yearned for; she wanted to escape from this world where she had to pretend. Sleeping forever sounded like a good solution. Her chest rose lightly and fell back down. Her lips parted and a sigh escaped from her mouth as her alarm clock went off. She groaned and was searching for her alarm clock with her hands. Once her hand hit it, she chucked it down onto the ground. Sakura was not too fond of alarm clocks but her father insist that she has one because she is a deep sleeper, which Sakura didn't see a problem in. She opened her eyes and was greeted by the sunlight beaming into her bedroom. Strange, is what she thought because clearly someone has been into her room and set her alarm and she knew exactly who set her alarm off but the curtains was mystery. She furiously threw the covers off her and jumped off her bed.<p>

She slid down the railings of her staircase then angrily approached the entertainment area as she heard chattering coming from that direction. As she was about to enter the arch entrance way, the voice she heard made her stop and her heart started to speed up rapidly. It was _his_ voice. It was the voice that had her stop walking in the hallway. Looking down at her attire, she realized it wasn't appropriate enough (in her father's eyes), to be greeting someone. Being shocked that _he_ was here inside her house, talking to her father, left her standing at that spot. But she instantly snapped out of it as she realized if he came through this entrance way, he would see her without the glasses and baggy clothing. However, it really wouldn't make a difference if he saw her like this because she looked completely different out of her disguise. She could easily lie and say that she was her own sister or something! But then again, there was that one person who always screws up your plans and for Sakura, it happened to be her father who would obviously tell Sasuke the truth. She sighed and once again, she had her back against the wall and was ease dropping on the conversation taking place in the room next door.

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><p><strong>Sasuke's POV<strong>

I usually don't tag along with my father to his business meetings but this one caught my interest. It is rare that my father has a meeting over about a person and when he does it's because the suspect is putting the company in jeopardy of bankruptcy. It's quite amusing that someone thinks they can make my father's company go bankrupt. But this meeting was over a particular person who isn't even causing trouble for the company. To be honest, I don't even think this is even a business meeting. I never seen my father so concerned for a person, besides his own family members but for a mere stranger is just…odd. When he informed me that he was heading over here, I could tell it was serious and was an urgent matter. I glanced down at my father's hands and he kept fidgeting his hands around. When he fidgets his hands that means something serious is going on. I've been to plenty of meetings to analyze these things. My eyes were still on his hands and they followed as he reached over to pick up his mug of coffee to take a sip. "What do you suppose I do?" the man who was sitting across from us spoke. He was partners with my father's business and his wealth was up there with ours.

"Hmm, I'm not sure. You could always…move?"

"No, I can't do that. They will eventually find me and her. Damn it! I can't believe they spotted her." The man slammed his hand down onto the table, making the mugs jump a bit. Her? Who was her?

"Are you sure it was them?"

"I know who I saw. I'm just thankful I got here at the time I did or else who knows where she would be right now." The man buried his head in his hands and then rubbed his head.

"Yes be thankful for that. Maybe you need to go in a different approach with her attire"

"I tried but she's stubborn, just like how her mother was…" the man paused. My father sighed. Ah, we're talking about his daughter. Interesting.

"Yes, just like her mother. You two were such trouble makers" my father chuckled, reminiscing the old days I suppose.

"Ha, tell me about it. It's my own damn fault that things ended up this way. I thought I could do something but I could-"

"Oh stop with the nonsense. You did everything you could; you know that, she knew that, everyone did! It's sad to know that things have ended up this way but we can do something about it and we will" the seriousness that my father carried would scare people. "Sunday." My father suddenly stated.

"Sunday?"

"Yes, Sunday. On Sunday, come over for dinner at my house and we'll discuss the approach you shall take"

"Hmm, Sunday you say?" the man was in deep thought. I could tell because of his body language with his hand placed over his mouth and was rubbing his finger above his upper lip, staring hard at table. "Alright. Sunday at…?"

"Come over at 5. You know how Mikoto is." The two laughed. I was glad that the atmosphere was back to a light and airy one.

"Ah, yes. Well, sounds like a good plan. My daughter and I will be there." We stood and the two shook hands. I went and stood at the entrance way then I spotted a certain color which caught my interest. Pink? _She_ instantly came into my mind. I kept staring at the color and the more I did, the more I thought about her. This was starting to become annoying.

* * *

><p>Here I stood with my back against the wall and ease dropping again. It saddens me to know that my father has to put up with all this stress that I'm creating. At times I feel like I'm such a horrible daughter and I probably am, I just don't want to acknowledge it. I sighed. If only I could just leave and end this misery for him. But what aggravates me is that those people were after me last night and I had no clue. I never experienced them coming after me, but my father has told me on several accounts that they have tried and almost succeeded. And after hearing that conversation that my father had, it made me realize how much trouble this is creating for him. I glanced to the right and noticed that my hair was noticeable. I started to panic because I saw Sasuke staring over at my way. I prayed that he didn't see me and I ducked down and went under the table that was nearby. Having to sneeze, I tried my best to keep it in but as always, that was a fail. "ACHOO!" I snuffled.<p>

"My daughter must be awake. Perhaps I can get her to come down and say hello." I stayed under the table and sat there still like a statue. I saw 6 feet walk by and heard my father continuously repeating my name and telling me to come down. Oh how he's going to get a heart attack once he sees that I was down here the whole time. I then heard the door close and I knew, well I hoped, that it was safe to come out. I waited for my father to go into the dining room and then went in. "Oh Sakura, good afternoon. You just missed meeting one of my very good friends." Technically I didn't, but he doesn't know that.

"Good afternoon, father. Oh, well maybe next time I'll be able to meet him."

"Yes, on Sunday you'll be meeting him and his family."

"Really now? How exciting!" Although, it really wasn't since I'll be seeing Sasuke there. Then my eyes widen.

"Dear, is there something wrong?"

"Dad, you know how whenever I go to any of your business meetings or gatherings and I don't have to wear a disguise?"

"Yes"

"Well, with this particular outing…am I to go as myself or what?" I already knew the answer but I was hoping he would say the opposite.

"Of course you're going out as yourself. My friends haven't seen you since you were a little girl." I sighed, I knew it.

"Couldn't you just allow me to wear my ugly glasses and baggy clothing just this one time?!"

"You will not! My daughter will represent herself as this beautiful, young intelligent woman she is becoming to be."

"Really, dad? You now want me to show off who I truly am? The amount of times I begged to be normal and now when I choose not to be, you reject the idea?! You, old man, need to make up your mind!"

"How dare you raise your voice at me! I did not raise you to be this way!" he suddenly stood up and was pointing at me, but I kept my cool or at least I tried too.

"You're right, you didn't! You didn't raise me to be this way because you haven't been raising me up at all! It's either business meeting here or there. You never found time for us to spend with each other and it hurts dad, it hurts! You have no idea what I'm going thr-"

"Of course I-"

"No, you don't! Do you have any idea how hard it is to go to school and have nobody to talk to? Do you know how hard it is to pretend to be someone who you aren't? No, you don't because you don't have to be or don't choose to be. I was forced to be someone else. I don't know the full story behind why I have to be, but I'm starting to get fed up with this act I put on. I need someone, just someone to talk to!" my shoulders were shaking as the tears build up in my eyes.

"Sakura, I never knew"

"Of course you didn't" I started to walk out of the room "And you probably never will because you're too damn consumed on trying to protect me! I can protect myself, dad. I'm not that same little shy girl anymore but in your mind I am and you need to grasp the fact that I'm not. Of course there are times where I'll need others to protect me but to hide who I am? That is just outrageous! I only do this for you, everything I do is for you…when will I get my chance to do things for myself?" and I ran. I could feel the tears starting to stream down my face. I ran out of my house and down the street, I could hear my father shouting for me to come back but I didn't want to be near my house for a while. I stopped running and realized I was out of disguise. For the first time I wasn't around the protection of my father and was showing how I truly looked. I spotted a park that had a swing set and surprisingly it was empty. Being cautious, I looked around to make sure no one suspicious was here. After deciding the place was safe, I sat down on the swing set. I breathed in the cool air. It was refreshing to be out of the house, the atmosphere in there was suffocating me. I felt terrible for yelling at my father like that but he just got the best of me. Sighing, I started to swing higher and higher. I then started to laugh, laughing at what I said to my father, about him not being there. Of course he's been there for me, but just not in the ways I wanted him to be. Then I began to cry, I cried because I started to remember the days when I was little and how my father used to do everything for me. I guess he has given me the chance to be myself but I just haven't realized it. I suddenly jumped off at the highest peak I reached when I was swinging and thankfully landed safely on the ground. I started to run back to my house. I owed my father an apology.

* * *

><p><strong>Sasuke's POV<strong>

It's bad enough that you get dragged to go shopping for stuff with your mother but it's downright embarrassing when you go with your father and he has no clue what he is looking for because he's either lost in the aisles or well…yeah that's the only option. Once my father found everything he was asked to get, or so he claims he did, we proceeded to the check-out area. "If you can find a beautiful girl like that, I would approve right on the spot!" Twitch. The things my father say are just unacceptable.

"Dad, I understand mom saying that but when it comes out of your mouth is just disturbing." We moved up to the register.

"What I'm just saying. But she also has be smart so she will need to be able to prove that." My father flashed a smile as the girl who was cashing us out and she blushed a bit. I sighed.

"Really now? I thought that was quite obvious you would want me dating someone smart." I saw the girl staring at me, but I wasn't about to flash a smile to her like my father did. "Plus, why are you telling me this all of a sudden?"

"Well, I'm just thinking about your future and the type of daughter-in-law I would like to have." My father passed me the bags to carry out.

"Shouldn't you worry about Itachi's love life instead of mine? I'm still in high school for goodness sakes!" We proceeded to the car.

"Well, that is true but at the same time I can worry about yours. Hmm, I should have a talk to your brother now that you mentioned it."

"You're telling me that you haven't spoken to Itachi yet?! But you and mom are constantly on my ass about getting a girlfriend?!" I chucked the bags into the trunk and slammed the trunk cover down, and then I made my way to the passenger door and got inside.

"I'm not saying I haven't. I just haven't really touched upon the issue as much as I do with you." I rolled my eyes at his response. This is just ridiculous! My father started the car and we were off.

"That's peculiar. Why would you talk to your youngest son about his love life but not the oldest? And I know you guys didn't harass him about it when he was younger like how you and mom do to me."

"Well, son. Your dear brother has dated some strange women that your mother and I just see no use in talking to him. You know he won't listen to us, he'll continue to date those weird women." I chuckled because it was true. Itachi has some weird taste.

"You have a point there."

"One point for me, zero for you!" My father laughed. I rolled my eyes and looked out the window. I then saw a girl running and she had pink hair. Of course Sakura came to mind but I couldn't determine that my answer was correct because I couldn't get a proper look at her as we just passed by quickly. I probably must be going crazy to even think that was Sakura. She's probably at home, in her room, doing some weird shit. I chuckled, that girl sure was an oddball but something about her makes me want to find things out about her.

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><p>Panting as she reached her doorsteps, she twisted the doorknob and walked inside. At first she thought her father wasn't home since the first floor was empty but when she walked upstairs, she heard a noise. Panic came over her and she worried that one of them was inside her house. Tip-toeing to the room where the noise was coming from, she prayed it was her father that was behind those doors or else she was screwed. Taking a deep breath, she twisted the doorknob slowly and pushed the door open. She let out a sigh of relief to find her father sitting behind his desk looking over papers. Her father looked up from his work and gestured her to come in and told her to take a seat. Sakura did as her father told her and just stared at him. Silence filled the room for a good few minutes until her father spoke. "Is there something you'll like to talk about?" She could see that he was tired as she looked into his eyes and that made her feel even worse. She thought he was drained from all the effort he puts in to protect her. She opened her mouth but then closed it. She repeated this a few times until she took a deep breath and spoke this time.<p>

"I'm…I'm…I'm sorry!" she shouted. She sat there, staring down at her lap where she was twiddling her thumbs. Her father didn't say a word. He just stared at her, blinking his eyes. He was amazed by what just happened. Sakura wasn't the type to apologize.

"Sorry for what?" Her father placed the pen he was holding into the pen holder. He then prompted his elbows onto his desk and folded his hands under his chin.

"For yelling at you earlier. What I said was stupid."

"No." Sakura's head shot up. "What you said wasn't stupid" He sighed. He got up and walked over to the other chair that was next to the seat that his daughter was sitting in. "You had every right to yell the things you have been keeping bottled up. Me on the other hand…I, I guess I just assumed everything with you was alright but now I know it's not and I'm sorry for that. I'm sorry for not taking the time to sit down and listen to what you have to say or spend time with you."

"It's alright dad and I know you try and that's what counts. I can't be selfish and take you away from your work when that's important."

"But you're more important." Sakura smiled and hugged her dad. This wasn't like Sakura but something overcame her and she didn't mind. She didn't mind the moment that she was sharing with her dad because it was happy one.

"Hey, how about we go out for dinner. To celebrate a fresh new start!"

"Alright! Let me go change first." Her father nodded and Sakura left the room. She searched through her closest until she found the outfit she wanted to wear. After getting dressed and putting on those tacky glasses, before leaving her room she glanced over at the curtains that were still open. As sickening feeling came over her and went back to her dad's office. "Hey, dad."

"Hmm?"

"Could you explain why my curtains are open? I remember them being closed before I went to sleep." She knew why, she figured it out from earlier on but she wanted to see if her father would tell her the truth. Unfortunately, he didn't. He claimed that he was the one that opened them hoping the sunlight would wake her up and this disappointed Sakura. Why would he lie about the fact that they were in her room when he had told her other times when they have been after her. It just didn't add up. She was overwhelmed by the thought but brushed it off.

"So you ready to go?" she nodded and they proceeded downstairs. She was in deep thought again and missed a step. Her heart pounded rapidly. She took a deep breath to get herself back together and went back into deep thinking. Besides the fact that her father lied to her, but she also remembered that Sasuke too knows that her father's daughter, her, was in trouble. However, she was glad that her father didn't mention who his daughter was or things would just be too awkward for her at school. The touch she felt on her arm made her flinch. "Sorry! Didn't mean to scare you" she turned around to find her father giving her a worried look.

"It's fine dad. I was just thinking." Oh was all he said and told her to hurry up and get her shoes on or he was going to leave without. But Sakura knew that whatever happened during the middle of the night in her room has made her father more determined to keep someone by her side at all times to make sure nothing happens to her. It was overwhelming, as she realized her freedom was going down the drain and probably will never get it back until everything between whoever is after her and her father is settled. She slid on her shoes and rushed out the door. She looked up and saw something unusual up in the tree. Her eyes slightly widen as she realized it was someone sitting up there and where the tree was located, is where you can directly see inside her father's office. Her heart started too pounded rapidly again but she needed to look like nothing was wrong with her. Her father honked the horn which made her jump and she ran over to the car and get inside. As the car pulled out, she still had her eyes on the person in the tree as they were staring directly back at her.

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><p><strong>Ooo freaky. Sakura has finally seen one of those people or is it? Dun dun dun duuuuuun!<br>Ah, who can't wait till the dinner that is taking place at Sasuke's house?! Wonder what is going to happen, hmm…  
>Not sure when the next chapter will be out, have lots of work to do!<br>Until next time!**

**PureElegance**


	4. A New Beginning?

**HELLO MY FELLOW NARUTO/ANIME LOVERS :)  
>I know, I know! I am sorry for taking forever to write this chapter! :(<br>I just started University in September and I just needed a breather and to take everything one step at a time.  
>I am sorry for not updating! I will try and write some new chapters and them out as fast as I can :) I'll try to get them out by Thursday the latest and if I can't, I'm really sorry T.T<br>So, with that being said…I do not own the characters of Naruto nor the show.**

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><p><strong>Let Me Breathe<strong>

_Hiding. That's one thing I'm good at. You can try and find me but you can never see me. But one day, maybe one day I'll be caught off guard and become found. If that day does come true then I am prepared to suffer the consequences for trying to escape. But they should be careful because they don't know who they are dealing with._

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><p>The day that I have been dreading has finally arrived.<p>

**Sunday**

Oh how I hate Sundays now. Not that I hated that day before but now I think I have a reasonable excuse as to why I do. The dinner that is approaching fast had me thinking that time speeds up to the bad parts of the day and the rest of the day will end up going slower. I looked over to my father to find a smile on his face. "You know, this isn't something to be smiling about", I then leaned my head against the car window. Still having my eyes on my father and that irking smile of his, I saw him glance at me and chuckle.

"Why say that? We are going to be visiting two very important people that your mother and I grew up with. I know you may not remember, but you have met them once. Mikoto was similar to your mother in many ways. Fugaku and I are basically like twins. Haha, damn it's been years. They also have two sons, Itachi and the other is Sasuke, the one who you are terrified to show your real appearance to, correct?"

"I'm not terrified." My father then lifted up the baggy sweater that I was wearing. "Okay, so I disobeyed you and didn't dress up the way you wanted to but dad! You have to understand where I am coming from. And you also seem like you aren't cautious as much as I am. Did you get brainwashed? Abducted by aliens and your brain got switched? Or-"

"Dear, you've been watching too many sci-fi movies lately. I was trying to ensure you that nothing bad would have come out of this. Judging by when he came over to the house a few days ago, he seemed like a nice young handsome man." My dad then released by sweater and placed the hand back onto the steering wheel.

"Yeah, yeah. Nothing bad will come out of this you say but you'll see, I'm sure something is bound to go wrong." It is true that Sasuke does appear to be young and handsome. I shook my head. I can't be thinking about _him_ that way. I very damn well know he isn't nice. Well maybe he is, but he doesn't appear to be. Sigh. Like they always say, never judge a book by its cover. "Dad, why of all days, today is the day that we are going to your friend's house for dinner? I mean, why haven't we've been invited over before?" I raised my eyebrow and stared back at my dad again.

"You never let anything pass by you, do you?" he chuckled, "Well, we have been invited over severely accounts but I just kept refusing their invitation because I was either busy with work or-"

"Because to ensure my safety that _they_ don't spot me. Yeah, yeah, I get it. But why is it different this time? Shouldn't you have refused again?"

"I really don't know what made me come this time. That friend of mine, he's one heck of a persuader. It usually doesn't work on me but this time it's truly different. Besides, I haven't seen him or his wife in such a long time and they haven't seen you in years! Plus, I want you to get to know their sons, especially Sasuke."

"Dad, sometimes I think you want to me to suffer in ways you find humorous to yourself." I heard him chuckle again and that brought me comfort. Maybe this dinner won't be horrible after all and all the worrying I had up till now has been cast aside. Perhaps today can be the day where I turn over a new leaf. Start fresh. But can I really do it? I've cooped myself up into this persona; dedicating time in perfecting this other person…can I just really push it aside and pretend that it never existed? No…of course not. The persona that I have created has now become a part of me, whether I like it or not. This is something that I just can't let go of easily regardless of how much I yearn to break free from it. If there is a way, I just hope I can find it soon. My father then soon turned into a driveway and I knew the time has come. Putting the car into park, both my dad and I exited the car at the same time. At the door appeared a man with a smile on his face.

"Fugaku!" My father slightly jogged around the car and sped up the staircase and shook the man's hand.

"Same as always Kizashi" the man named Fugaku, patted my dad's back. My train of thoughts was broken when I heard my dad cough.

"Ahem, Sakura. What are you waiting for? Come here and say hi, no need to be shy" I rolled my eyes at the word 'shy'. I walked up the stairs and in the corner of my eye I saw a figure looking through the window. Maybe it's Sasuke? I really need to stop thinking about him. I stretched my hand out to shake Mr. Uchiha's hand but then he just placed his arms around me.

"Sakura Haruno. It's been such a long time."

"Umm Mr. Uchi-"

"Call me Fugaku"

"Well…Fugaku, you are slightly crushing me. You know, just a tad bit" I then felt the blood rushing back into my arms once he released me.

"Sorry about that Sakura. Ah, why don't you guys come in, I'm sure Mikoto is eager to see both of you" I followed my father into the house and was amazed by the sight before me. I thought my house was stunning but this house takes the cake. It seemed like the type of house to hold large gatherings and parties.

"Is that Kizashi and Sakura?!" I heard a women excitedly say. I turned to my right to see a beautiful cheerful woman standing in the arch way. "Fugaku, you aren't just going to make them stand there the whole night are you? Come on you two; follow me into the living room"

"But dear! I was about to tell them to come" I heard my father chuckle and the two men started to talk. Thinking it was business matters, I decided to go on without the two.

Following Mikoto's order, I followed her into another amazing room. This house was just too much. I sensed someone else in the room other than Mikoto and saw a male who I don't recall ever meeting before. "Ah, you must be wondering who that is. That's my oldest son Itachi" Itachi, so he must be the one who was looking out the window. He looks so damn handsome. The rays of the sun that was setting, hit his probably soft skin making him seem irresistible. Regardless without the rays shined upon him, he was already irresistible. I just wanted to reach out and touch him. Snapping out of my drooling thoughts, I realized he was standing right in front of me with his hand stretched out to shake mine.

"Well?" His voice matched that well fitted body of his. I looked into his eyes. That was a big mistake. His eyes were entrancing. Snapping again out of my drooling thoughts of this man before me, I shook his hand. "Finally someone came to their senses" He then flashed me a smile and walked away, one hand in his pants pocket and the other just swaying back and forth as he disappeared out of the room. My heart was pounding. Other than that minor encounter with Sasuke, my heart hasn't pound this fast. Damn theses Uchiha boys are going to cause trouble for my heart. These guys are probably used to girls swooning over them and they seem like the type to toy around with them. Well, I vow from this day on not to swoon over either them…no matter how tempting it is. Resuming back to reality and not that hot boy central in my head, I turned to Mikoto and smiled.

"I'm sorry that my father and I have not been able to attend the previous dinner invites. Dad has been so busy lately. I'm happy that he's finally able to get out like this." Mikoto started to laugh. "Did I say something funny?"

"Haha, no dear. You are just mature for your age. Your father is such a child, I'm glad he has a daughter like you to watch over him."

"Also, sorry for how I am presenting myself to you and your family. I just wanted to be cautious and didn't want to put your family into a situation that you don't need to get yourselves into." My hair seemed greasy, had brown contacts in including my hideous fake glasses, chapped lips, and blotches all over my face and on top of that, I was wearing baggy clothing.

"Nonsense. It is completely understandable." I nodded and cheerfully smiled at her understanding. She then grabbed my hands and stared into my eyes and I could tell her eyes were telling me she was worried and it also had seriousness to it as well, "If you ever need to talk to anyone about anything, you can come see me. I'll always be here for you…think of me just like a second mother."

"A second mother?" tilting my head down, I smiled a little. It was like my prays were kind of answered…of wanting a mother. Even though she may not be my real mother or I don't know anything about her or hardly talked to her, I have this feeling that everything would be okay if I'm around her…she makes me feel secure. _Mother._ I could feel the tears forming already. Still feeling the warmth of the woman's hand placed above mine. I looked up and saw Mikoto staring at me with worried eyes.

"Sakura? Did I say anything wrong? I'm sorry, you don't have to think of me as a second mother, I just didn't want you to feel uncomfortable around me, but I guess I took the wrong approach. Dear, I didn't- "

"Mikoto…" I embraced her and didn't want to let her go. She was the closest that could probably come to my mom; dad even said she was similar to mom in many ways. I felt her fingers running through my hair and telling me that everything will be okay. We let go of each other and stared at one another. Then we started to laugh.

"What are you two laughing about?" I heard my dad say when he and Fugaku entered into the room.

"Nothing that concerns you, you're such a nosey man. Its women talk" Mikoto rolled her eyes and I couldn't help but giggle.

"Cute giggle." That voice sounded familiar. I looked over to where the voice was coming from and spotted Itachi standing there in another arch way leaning against the wall. I could already envision how his body looked like under that loose fitted shirt of his. I had such a dirty mind, I need to cleanse it! "You really space out a lot, don't you?" My eyes met his chest and then they travelled up to his face. This time instead of a smile, he smirked. Oh he knows…he knows that he is damn fine. Why me?! Why am I in this position?!

"Ah, sorry. I just happen to have a lot on my mind." I shyly smiled at him. He winked at me and walked away. How could he do such things while in front of his parents? Hoping I was not blushing, I turned back to face my father and his friends.

"Ah Mikoto I'm looking forward to your cooking. It's been ages since I've eaten a good homemade meal." It's true. My father and I usually eat take out most of the time. But we work out together to keep our figure in shape.

"Oh Kizashi, my cooking isn't all that."

"Pfft, who are you trying to kid?! Sakura, this woman before you is like the goddess of cooking! Once you take one bite of her food, you'll want to keep eating." I laughed at my dad. "Hey, don't laugh at me. What I'm saying is true!"

"Dad, I'm not laughing at what you are saying. I'm just laughing at you. Besides, I'm sure Mikoto's cooking is delicious. I can't wait to try your dishes."

"How about we all go into the dining room, Sasuke should be home in a few minutes."

* * *

><p><strong>Sasuke's POV<strong>

As I was pulling into the driveway, I spotted a car parked next to my dad's car. Ah, right. We invited over one of dad's friends and his daughter for dinner. I exited out of my car and spotted Itachi waiting at the doorway. "Why are you standing out here?"

"What does it look like? I'm waiting for the milkman to come by; no I'm waiting for you. Everyone is already at the dinner table."

"Did you already meet them?" We both entered the house.

"Yeah, the daughter is gorgeous. I'm surprised you haven't gone after her."

"Maybe I don't have a class with her"

"Yeah, maybe." Both Itachi and I entered the dining room and I spotted pink. All of a sudden an image of that girl came into my head. Wait a minute…ah, so dad's friend's daughter is pinky. I made my way over to where Itachi is and sat down next to him. She had her head down, but I don't know why she is hiding for. I already know what she looks. She had an attire that screamed 'stay away from me', hair that was plain disgusting, and the glasses were probably just fake ones, they were overly huge and didn't sit properly on her face. She then raised her head, pushing her glasses up and it was as if she was staring deep into my soul. Like she was trying to figure out all the sins I have committed. I then smirked at her and saw her expression change from calm to a shy one. It was typical of every girl to do that around me. Her expression then went back to calm. Seems like pinky knows how to switch to different expressions easily. I stomped on Itachi's foot and he looked over at me and chuckled. Itachi is so going to get his ass kicked for making me think that we had a gorgeous girl over.

"Alright everybody, here's the final dish!" My mother came in and placed the plate down on the table and made her way over to her seat. "I hope Kizashi and Sakura will like the meal"

"Haha, don't worry Mikoto. Every single thing here will be eaten!" Kizashi started filling up his plate and my father was doing the same. Soon everyone had their plates full.

"So Sakura, how are you liking school?" my father asked pinky. As I was enjoying my meal, my father would of course bring up academic talk.

"It's alright. It could be better." She then shoved an eggroll into her mouth. I'm not going to lie, that was pretty hot. I looked over to see Itachi smirking. Pinky then stared at both of us and raised her eyebrow. She then rolled her eyes and continued to munch on her food.

"I hear you are doing well in all of your classes. Do you know what you want to do after you are done school?" I shook my head at my father's educational questions.

"At the moment I am uncertain. I want to take over my dad's company but I also want to become a doctor."

"Impressive. I hope my sons find a girl like you with that kind of mindset." I looked over to pinky and it looked like she was about to choke on her food until she took a sip of her drink. I chuckled. "Sasuke, is there something amusing that I said?"

"You say that about every girl we meet."

"Only nice, smart girls."

"Right." About half an hour passed by and things quieted down around the table. Then my mother caught everyone's attention.

"Fugaku, wasn't there something that you wanted to talk about? I believe right now would be the perfecting time." Some sort of announcement? If it was a business announcement I would have known. I leaned over the table to stare at my father.

"Ah yes dear, thanks for reminding me. Kizashi, remember when I came over and said that we'll think about a plan?" Kizashi nodded. "Well…I was thinking perhaps Sasuke could act like a bodyguard for Sakura until things get straightened out."

"I'm sorry father, but I am not going to be a babysitter."

"Fugaku…I understand that you and my father are trying to help me with this situation but I can really handle it on my own and don't need Sasuke to interfere. No offense Sasuke, but I don't think you'll want to get yourself into this situation. It should only be dealt with the people who know what is going on. I don't want to drag anyone else into this problem." I was stunned by the amount of words that just came out of pinky's small plump lips.

"Are you saying that I can't handle the situation?"

"Yes, that is exactly what I am saying. I don't think you can handle such matters." She flashed me a smirk. That was quite sexy, I must admit but she making me irritated. She seemed she would be such an annoyance to have around. The last thing I would want is to have her and I communicating. I am quiet fine with keeping my distance from her and just observing what I need to observe but to talk to one another that is completely different.

"I don't know who you think you are talking to but I am an Uchiha and we Uchiha's can handle anything that comes our way."

"Oh I'm sure you can but not this. This may be…out of your league." Oh that's it. I stood up and clenched my hand into a fist. "Are you going to hit me?"

"SASUKE UCHIHA! SIT DOWN RIGHT NOW!" I was fuming. How dare she come up here and tell me that I'm not capable of handling certain matters. Following my mother's orders I sat down.

"Sasuke, what Sakura is telling you is true. This may be out of your league. This isn't any ordinary business thing; we are dealing with a person's life, Sakura's life." Her life? Why would anyone want to be after her? I scoffed at my father's words. "On second thought, perhaps Itachi should do be the one to look after her. He is responsible, intelligent, _**respectful**_, and will also treat your daughter kindly. But then again he is busy with the company. Sigh. I'm sorry Kizashi about Sasuke's behaviour. I'm not saying he wouldn't treat your daughter kindly, but right now he doesn't seem like the perfect candidate."

"Haha, it's alright Fugaku. It's a man's pride to think they can do anything and everything. Fugaku, you should completely understand. You were exactly the same when you were young. Haha." Damn right I can do anything and everything, even if that means looking after that little-

"If Sasuke is the only person that you can find for me, then I'll accept. However, he and I don't communicate at all. Since I've dressed extremely differently from the rest, no one ever bothers to talk to me. If he is to be helping me during this matter then I think it would be smart if he and I were to talk, not during school hours but after school via text. This is my only request if this is to happen." I inwardly sighed. What did I get myself into. Not only is communicating with her is my worst nightmare yet but the fact I have to put her number into my phone, where if anyone takes my phone and sees that she is in my contacts, they'll probably be wondering what is going on. Praying that my father would not agree to such times, I glanced at him. Hoping he would save me from this torture that is about to arise.

"Agreed. If things are to operate smoothly, you two will need to start communicating about things. Also, I think Sakura should get rid of her disguise and start looking the way she normally is. I know it will be a whole new experience for you Sakura but you just have to trust me on this. I believe that the disguise is also attracting more attention than needed, Fugaku. Perhaps it is because she had been in disguise for so many years that those who are after her will not recognize her right away. Plus, with her communicating with others, perhaps it would be harder to find her in crowds. Although the pink hair may give her location away, she can easily get away because of Sasuke. I hope that you don't have a problem with this Sakura." What did he mean in disguise? Why would anyone dress in such ways and present themselves like that. Well if she is in disguise, I'm pretty sure this is the best she can look. I chuckled. There is no way that this girl can look better than how she is. No way possible. I stared at pinky and could tell she was thinking about this deeply.

I could tell that both of us like being the one in control. Never will I let a girl be in control of me. I then heard a sigh escape her lips. She looked over to my father with such serious eyes and nodded. Great. Someone out there must hate me that much to do this to me…, my father and pinky.

* * *

><p>Now that I have agreed to such terms, I have to be extra cautious about who I talk to because I don't know how the people who are after me look like. For all I know, they could be in my school, in my class, spying on me. I just hope Sasuke can handle this. Even though I don't know him well, besides seeing his rude attitude, I don't want anything to happen to him. "Oh Fugaku, you are definitely still the same ever since we were young." My father let a sigh escape, "Alright, I'll agree. In the meantime, you and I will work on trying to fix up this whole situation that I've got my daughter into. Ah, if only we weren't so stupid when we were young." My father was staring up at the ceiling but really he was staring into the heavens were my mom is.<p>

"It's not your fault Kizashi. Mikoto and I somewhat contributed to how the problem has become now. Don't worry my dear friend; we will sort this out once and for all."

Things eventually turned back into a cheerful mood when Mikoto went and got dessert. Still trying to grasp what really happened, I excused myself from the table and went to the bathroom. As I was walking down the hall I then realized I didn't know where the bathroom was. I turned back around and went back into the dining room. "Sorry but where is your washroom?"

"Sasuke, can you please show Sakura where the bathroom is?" As Sasuke got up, he punched Itachi on the arm and made his way over to me. He stared at me up and down with his face slightly scrunched up and walked pass me, hitting my shoulder as well. Trying to keep my temper at bay, I turned around and followed Sasuke. I couldn't but help it and let my eyes wander from his head down to his feet. Even though we go to the same school and have classes together, I never had the chance to look at him properly. I should have already known he has a stunning physique underneath that loose yet fitting top of his and the way his pant fit him… I need to get out of this house fast. I took a step back but then Sasuke turned around.

"Pinky, here's the bathroom. Have fun finding your way back." And then he disappeared around the corner. Even though he may have an amazing body, he has the ugliest personality. Entering the bathroom, I sat on the bathroom sink counter. I never intended on using the bathroom. I just needed a quiet place to think. I don't know why but why does Fugaku and Mikoto has to anything about what's happening to me? Is it really something that has to be confidential between the people who really know what is going on? I let a sigh escape my lips as I threw my head back and closed my eyes. My father wasn't joking when he said he was wild in his teen years if he is in this situation.

**Knock**

"Sakura, are you are alright? You've been in here for a while? Are you sick?" I can hear the worriedness in Mikoto's voice.

"Sorry for worrying you Mikoto, everything is fine." I opened the door and exited the bathroom. "Haha I was worried that I wouldn't be able to find my way back but it's good that you came." We both laughed and walked back to the dining room together.

"Ah Mikoto, you found my daughter! Well Sakura, I think we should start heading out. Busy day tomorrow." My father stood up and adjusted his suit. We followed Fugaku and Mikoto to the front door. "Thank you for having us over. We should definitely get together more. I should have some free time now since I've dealt with the necessary stuff for the business."

"Anytime! We are having a little gathering next weekend. Come by if you can." Fugaku and my father shook hands and talked some more things among the two. I looked over at Mikoto and smiled.

"Thank you for inviting us to your home. I enjoyed dinner and dessert. I hope to see you guys soon."

"Anytime dear, yes hopefully your father is free and you two are able to come next weekend."

"Alright, ready to go Sakura?" I nodded my head. My father and I were about to exit out the door until Fugaku shouted out Sasuke's name.

"What?" shouted Sasuke.

"Come here and exchange numbers with Sakura." Three minutes passed when Sasuke came down to the door. After exchanging numbers, we said our final goodbyes and exited the house. As we entered the car and drove off, I stared out the passenger window and hoped that I just made the right decision.

"I hope we did the right thing Sakura. I hate to drag Fugaku and his family into this." I glanced over at my father.

"We can only hope for the best dad…we can only hope for the best." I looked back out the window and had a feeling that things were about to get pretty hectic.

* * *

><p><strong>There you have it! Chapter 4 finally released! And now the drama begins…DUNDUNDUNNN!<br>I hope you guys are having a great weekend and if I'm not able to upload a chapter next week, I hope you all have a weekday :)  
>Talk to you all soon!<strong>

**PureElegance**

**p.s: I'm thinking of rewriting "The Black Dress" and it's sequel "The Lucky Dress", so don't freak out if you see it removed, "The Black Dress" would be up in a few days or so. I found it to be all over the place as it was my first two stories that I have ever written on here and had no idea what direction to take. I hope you all will read it again and enjoy the new storyline :)  
><strong>


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